We had a quick getaway to Port Stephens for 2 nights staying at Bannisters on a Luxury Escapes package.
We left Sunday morning at 9:30am - arrived around 1pm. We dropped our bag as we could not check-in then went into town for a pub lunch. After walking around we went back to the hotel and checked in.
After showers we went to the bar for “Happy Hour” which was not so happy as drinks were pretty much full price.
We had dinner at the Terrace Bar as the main Rick Stein’s restaurant (for which Bannisters is famous) is closed on Sunday evenings. The food was good but the service was a bit hit or miss.
Monday, after the included continental breakfast which was pretty good, we drove around - stopping at Fingle Bay - from here we called Tom as he and Marilyn have stayed here at a holiday apartment many times. We then did a hike up a steep hill to a great lookout. Afterward we had a nice lunch at a waterfront restaurant.
That evening we had dinner at Rick Stein’s - which was very good.
We woke up on Tuesday Morning to very heavy smoke (due to raging bush fires plaguing NSW for months) so decided to just head back to Sydney after breakfast.